Best VPN for Firestick

*Content includes branded mentions of our sponsor, Norton Secure VPN.

In a world where even televisions are susceptible to hacking, it's a good idea to take measures to safeguard your identity and personal information. A virtual private network (VPN) for Amazon Firestick can enhance the security of your internet connection, keeping malicious third parties out. Moreover, the ability to change your geo-location through a VPN means you may be able access content that is only available in other regions.

Because there are so many VPNs on the market, choosing the right one for your Firestick can be confusing. We've rounded up the best VPNs for Firestick, detailing everything you need to know about how to get and use one.

Our Top Picks for Best VPN for Firestick

• Windscribe: Best free VPN for Firestick
• Surfshark: Cheapest VPN for Firestick
• ExpressVPN: Best VPN for jailbroken Firestick
• IPVanish: Best Firestick VPN for unlimited devices
• NordVPN: Best download speeds on Firestick VPN

Best VPN for Firestick Reviews

Why we chose it: Windscribe's free plan shares nearly all of its features with the paid plans and features more server locations than other free VPNs.

Windscribe offers free and paid plans, but unlike other free options, it does not restrict free users to a tiny share of its features, nor does it log their activity. The paid versions of Windscribe offer more than 60 countries and 110 cities to connect to, while the free version allows access to more than 10 countries, including the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Hong Kong, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, Romania and Turkey.

If you sign up for a free plan, you'll get a meager 2GB of bandwidth each month, but there are ways to increase that. In exchange for confirming your email, Windscribe will upgrade your plan to 10GB. The company also extends other opportunities to raise your bandwidth, such as an extra 5GB for tweeting to promote Windscribe or for referring a friend.

Although Windscribe offers a good deal more than other free VPN plans, its bandwidth remains a big limitation. The free plan’s bandwidth can amount to plenty of time spent surfing the web, but streaming video on your Firestick will quickly exhaust it. According to Netflix, data usage for streaming per hour breaks down like this:

• Standard definition: up to 1GB
• High definition: up to 3GB
• Ultra-high definition (4K): up to 7GB

Another downside is Windscribe’s lack of customer support options. The VPN offers help via online form and an extensive list of articles on its website, but does not feature live chat or phone support. Nonetheless, third-party review sites show high ratings for Windscribe, and the majority of customers say they are very satisfied with their experience using the VPN.

Why we chose it: Surfshark's two-year subscription plan comes with an extensive list of features for one of the lowest prices in the industry.

Surfshark is a paid VPN provider with over 3,200 servers in 100 countries. It offers a wide variety of features to protect your privacy, prevent tracking and secure your identity. This includes a kill switch, which will shut off your internet if the VPN connection drops, and Dynamic MultiHop, a feature that allows you to connect to two VPN servers simultaneously for added IP address protection.

Surfshark has inexpensive options, but you'll need to subscribe to the service for a lengthy period to access these low prices. The price of a one-month subscription is $12.95, whereas paying for the annual package will cost you $47.88 for the first 12 months. The best deal overall is the two-year package, which costs $59.76 (the equivalent of $2.39 monthly) and includes an additional month.

Although Surfshark doesn't offer a free version, all of its VPN plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Why we chose it: ExpressVPN offers best-in-class encryption and security measures to protect your Firestick, even jailbroken ones.

A jailbroken Firestick lets you install third-party apps without restrictions. While this opens up many streaming opportunities, it's also risky and may expose your device to security vulnerabilities. ExpressVPN uses multiple security features to protect your device, including AES-256, the same encryption the U.S. government uses to protect classified data.

ExpressVPN has a vast network that connects to 94 countries, allowing you to access geo-blocked content from around the globe. ExpressVPN also offers a Smart Location tool, which automatically connects you to the location with the optimal experience in terms of download speed and latency. Its website features multiple guides, blogs and other features, such as speed and IP tests, to help deepen your VPN knowledge.

ExpressVPN can be used on five devices simultaneously under one subscription, which is fewer than many competitors offer in its price range. You can subscribe to the service month-to-month for $12.95, every six months for $9.99 per month or every year for $6.67 per month. The annual price is high compared with competitors, and the company doesn't offer a free trial period, though it does include a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Why we chose it: IPVanish allows subscribers to access the internet via their highly secure VPN on an unlimited number of simultaneous connections.

IPVanish boasts over 75 VPN locations and more than 2,200 servers. Though these are smaller numbers than those of other VPNs on our list, IPVanish also allows users to connect as many devices to the internet as they wish. For example, you can simultaneously use the VPN to stream content on your Firestick and surf the web on your phone and computer.

IPVanish offers a monthly plan at $11.99 per month — slightly more affordable than popular VPN alternatives — as well as one- or two-year plans. The service charges a one-time fee of $53.99 for its yearly plan, but renewing your subscription for subsequent years costs $89.99. Subscribing to a two-year plan right away will cost you $79.99, saving you money in the long run but locking you into a long plan term.

Common complaints about IPVanish concern the aforementioned renewal charges and poor customer service. Users have also pointed out that IPVanish doesn’t work well with YouTube. Moreover, although the one- and two-year plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, the monthly plan does not.

Why we chose it: With top results on multiple third party tests, NordVPN boasts faster download speeds than nearly all of its competitors.

NordVPN has consistently ranked for years as one of the fastest VPNs — and in some cases, the fastest VPN — in tests from independent IT companies like AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives. This can be largely attributed to its extensive network of 5,729 servers and proprietary NordLynx protocol, which was designed to connect to NordVPN servers faster and improve your connection speeds without compromising security or privacy.

On top of high download speeds, NordVPN offers a comprehensive suite of online security tools, including a kill switch, ad blockers, and double VPN encryption for enhanced data protection. It also provides features like dedicated IP addresses, Onion Over VPN routing for added privacy, and obfuscated servers for accessing VPN in restrictive environments.The VPN’s Plus plan adds a cross-platform password manager and a data breach scanner, while the Complete plan throws in 1 TB of cloud storage and advanced encryption algorithms.

One downside of NordVPN is that its monthly subscription cost is relatively high, making it less budget-friendly for month-to-month users. Additionally, it allows only six simultaneous connections. This is fewer than other VPNs on this list with a similar price that offer ten or unlimited connections instead.

Other VPNs for Firestick we considered

There are dozens of VPNs available, but only the best made our list. The following are also worth mentioning, but they ultimately fell short of featuring in one category or another.

Hotspot Shield VPN

Hotspot Shield advertises military-grade encryption, over 115 server locations in more than 80 countries and up to ten devices connected simultaneously. The VPN boasts competitive download speeds and is flexible, offering a free plan on top of its monthly and yearly premium plans.

Unfortunately, Hotspot Shield’s high download speeds are held back by slow upload speeds. Moreover, its free plan is severely limited compared to other free alternatives in the VPN space.

VyprVPN

VyprVPN is a secure VPN that works with Amazon Firestick. It also has a feature called Chameleon Protocol that assists users in regions with internet blocks and restrictions, such as China, Russia, India, Turkey and more.

Unfortunately, VyprVPN has a relatively small network of only around 700 servers. This can have a negative impact on users’ connections and limits its use for bypassing geo-blocking.

Proton VPN

Proton VPN is a privacy-focused VPN that you can use to unblock content by location on your Firestick. Its interface is easy to navigate and straightforward to use.

Its major downside is that it only offers access to a limited number of servers. It also has received poor ratings from third-party sites, with many reviews citing slow speeds and poor connection.

VPN for Firestick Guide

Downloading a VPN service isn't necessary to start using your Amazon Firestick device, but it does have its benefits. If you're wondering whether you need a VPN, this guide should help you by explaining what a Firestick VPN is and how to use one.

What is a Firestick VPN?

A Firestick VPN is the same as any other VPN, only that it’s used to protect and access content via a Firestick instead of a computer or mobile device.

The best VPN services allow you to safeguard your personal information online, especially when using a public or unsecured network. VPNs connect to the internet through an encrypted tunnel, enhancing your security and privacy when connected to the Internet. They are able to mask your identity from governments, hackers, mobile carriers, marketing outfits and internet providers.

Besides protecting your data, VPNs allow you to connect to the internet as if you were in another location. This allows you to access content normally unavailable in your region. A common use case for this is streaming content from platforms like Netflix or Hulu that is unavailable in your country.

Keep in mind that using a VPN this way might breach your user agreement with streaming platforms. Moreover, because VPNs use data all the same, you won’t be able to bypass any data caps from your internet service provider. You might even be using more data since VPNs also have to encrypt your traffic.

How does a VPN work on Firestick?

Your internet service provider connects you to websites, online platforms and other services hosted on the Internet. To do so, it must assign devices an IP address so websites can identify you when you visit them. The result is that your internet activity links to your IP address and, therefore, discloses your identity.

When you use a VPN, you connect to the internet through a secure connection via a VPN’s remote servers. The websites you visit cannot identify your IP address. Instead, they see the VPN server's IP address. The VPN’s IP address changes frequently and is shared with other users, making it extremely difficult for hackers or others to access your information.

Using a VPN on Firestick works the same way as on any other device. Your internet connection through Firestick runs through a VPN which conceals your real identity and location.

How to install a VPN on Firestick

Amazon Firestick allows you to access thousands of hours of streamable content by plugging it into your TV's HDMI port. Using a VPN to alter your digital location gives you access to even more content, as many shows and movies are geo-locked to specific regions or countries. Here's how to get started.

1. Choose and download a reliable VPN app from the Amazon Appstore on your Firestick device

There are many VPN providers to choose from, each with different capabilities and prices. Consider the speed, price, available server regions and how many devices you plan to use.

Once you've settled on a VPN, log into the Amazon Appstore with your Firestick. Select "Categories," then "Utility," or search for "VPN" to find the VPN of your choice. Click on "Get" to download the VPN app.

2. Open the VPN app on your Firestick and sign in with your VPN provider's credentials

After downloading the VPN, you'll need to log in. If you don't have an account with this VPN provider, create one online. If you already have an account with the provider, you can simply enter your account details and log in.

3. Choose a server location from the available options and tap "connect"

You should have multiple server locations to choose from in your VPN window. Pick the region you'd like to use and tap the connect button. The VPN should connect to your desired location in under a minute.

4. Verify your new IP address to confirm the VPN is working properly

Enter the Settings menu on the home screen to check your Firestick IP address. From there, click on "Systems" and then "About." Once you've accessed the About menu, select "Network" to find the Firestick IP address on the first line.

To ensure your VPN is working, check your Firestick's IP address before you turn on your VPN and write down the number. After you turn on your VPN, navigate to the Network page to ensure the IP address has changed.

5. Customize your VPN settings to your liking within the VPN app

If you have advanced VPN knowledge, you can customize some settings, like split tunneling or changing the protocol used to connect to the VPN network. Not all VPN providers provide these options, nor are they necessary for the software to function adequately.

6. Test the VPN connection by accessing geo-restricted content or conducting an IP address check

Once you've set up your VPN the way you want it, you can re-check your IP address to make sure your actual IP address is not displayed. Another way to test the VPN is to change your location to an area with geo-restricted content. If the content changes based on your location, you can be sure the VPN is working.

How to turn off a VPN on Firestick

You may want to turn off your VPN on Firestick for several reasons, including connectivity issues and problems with streaming. Whatever the reason, turning off a VPN on Firestick is a straightforward process.

First, navigate to the home screen of Firestick and choose "Settings" with your remote. Click on "Applications" and then "Manage Installed Applications." Select your VPN and then choose "Disable." At this point, your Firestick will no longer be connected to the internet through your VPN.

How We Chose the Best VPN for Firestick

To decide on the best VPN for Firestick, we considered the following factors:

• Download speeds: We compared the download speeds of each VPN and considered how they ranked against each other.

• Pricing and plans: We looked at each VPN’s monthly, annual and two-year subscription prices, along with any additional fees, to see which ones offered the most features for the lowest price.

• Available locations: We considered how many servers each VPN service had and the number of locations a subscriber could access with a plan.

• Additional features: We looked at any special aspects of the VPN, such as VPN protocol types, the number of simultaneous device connections, additional security, kill switches and ad blockers.

• Customer service: We considered the quality of the support offered through the VPN service's representatives and any additional available resources like guides, blogs and tutorial videos.

• Third-party ratings: We checked how other sites rated the VPN services.

• Customer complaints: We looked at various online sites that allowed customers to leave reviews and complaints to gauge customer satisfaction and identify common issues.

Summary of Money’s Best VPN for Firestick

• Windscribe: Best free VPN for Firestick
• Surfshark: Cheapest VPN for Firestick
• ExpressVPN: Best VPN for jailbroken Firestick
• IPVanish: Best Firestick VPN for unlimited devices
• NordVPN: Best download speeds on Firestick VPN